12-Calm Before the Storm – Ellacoya SP

I saw my first state park employee today, hard at work sprucing up the grounds prior to this weekend’s grand opening. I had just parked in a cool shady spot on the grass outside the entrance when I saw what he was doing: putting up a “Please Do Not Park on Grass” sign. I moved my car and left it in the sun while I explored.

Hard at work under the “gallows sign”.

So this is a beach and camp park. There’s not much else to it but such as it is, it’s quite attractive. A few others had come to sunbathe but otherwise I had the park to myself. The website said the campground (RVs only – no tents) was open but my visit proved otherwise. I’m sure that when the RV park is full this park must get very crowded. As you can see, view from the beach is exceptional:

View across Lake Winnipesaukee

View towards the north

More of the beach

There was also a playground, although it looks like it would be a good candidate for upgrading. The new playgrounds that I’ve seen at White Lake and Winslow would work nicely here.

Considering how attractive the lakes region is, I think this park would be a terrific place to park the RV and use as a base of operations for the whole region. I drove to the other side of Belknap Mountain just a few miles away and had a great hike up to the fire tower. There’s tons of attractions and attractive towns nearby, if you’re so inclined. Happy travels!